The invention lies in the field of fasteners and in particular devices for fastening or holding a length of electrical conduit or pipe firmly against the wall of a metal stud.
Galvanized metal studs are extensively used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings to replace wooden two by fours traditionally used as vertical studs in the building's walls. The metal studs are U-shaped in cross-section with a series of spaced apart holes in the flat center panel of the stud.
It is often required that a length of electrical conduit or pipe for water or gas be firmly secured against the surface of the metal stud. Although various means for securing a length of conduit or pipe or cable to a metal stud have been suggested, no simple, reliable and inexpensive device has as yet appeared on the market.
I have invented a device which simply and reliably will fasten or hold a length of conduit or pipe or cable against the flat center panel of a vertical metal stud. The device is both inexpensive to make and quick and easy to install.
The device consists of two separate elements, each readily available and easy to join together into my unique fastener. The first element is a coiled metal spring preferably having a length about twice the width of the punched out holes in the metal stud. The second element is a cylindrical retainer of rubber-like foamed plastic material axially surrounding the center portion of the coiled metal spring and having a diameter about three times that of the helical spring and a length about one half that of the helically coiled metal spring.
When it is desired to fasten a length of electrical conduit or pipe against the center panel of a vertical metal stud, the conduit or pipe is first pressed against the center of the stud and then thee opposite ends of the cylindrical retainer of one of my fasteners are pinched together around the length of conduit or pipe and the opposite ends of the coiled spring are inserted into one of the holes in the metal stud. Then when the tension on the ends of the retainer are released, the coils of the spring will lock onto the metal stud and retain the length of conduit or pipe or cable firmly against the flat wall of the metal stud.